Punjab Congress today conceded defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, saying the party could not fully respond to the sentiment of the people which was characterised by anger against the Akali Dal-BJP government in the state.
State PCC president Partap Singh Bajwa, in a statement here, said that, "People were annoyed over the increasing menace of drugs, goonda raj and sky-rocketing prices of the construction material including sand and gravel."
"But, Congress could not fully respond to the sentiment of the people which was characterised by anger against the Akali Dal-BJP government in the state," he said.
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In some areas in the state, this sentiment was neutralised to an extent by the wave in favour of Narendra Modi and partly by the double anti-incumbency cancelling out each other, he said.
Vowing to re-dedicate to the people of Punjab, Bajwa said, "At this critical juncture, the Congress re-dedicate itself to the people of Punjab and hereby make a solemn commitment to be one with them."
On loss of seats in Punjab, he said, "Of course, the results in Punjab are unexpected but then the same has happened at the national level. People are our strength as the Congress has always been and would continue to be one with them."
Bajwa attributed the damage to the Congress in Punjab to the unexpected sympathy of the people that the Aam Aadmi Party succeeded in getting. AAP bagged four seats in the state.
"This fledgling party immensely benefited from the anti-incumbency against the Akali Dal-BJP government," he said.
The tally of Congress in Punjab in 2009 general polls was eight which fell to three in 2014.
